A Critical Analysis of the Skills Training System in Agricultural High Schools in Sanandaj County

In the present era, education is crucial for a knowledge-based economy. Education creates human capital. It increases individuals' capabilities, leads to economic productivity, and facilitates the development and adoption of frontier technologies. Many experts believe that the decline in economic growth and failure in international competitions are somehow affected by the educational system's performance. Therefore, reforms in the educational system should move towards greater alignment with the knowledge-based economy. Hence, this research was conducted to investigate the pathology of the skills training system in agricultural high schools in Sanandaj.This research is qualitative research in nature and is a type of case study.The study population includes all students and teachers of agricultural high schools in Sanandaj County, who were selected purposefully using the snowball method. With 24 semi-structured interviews with an average time of 70 minutes, theoretical saturation of the data was achieved. A focus group discussion (7-person group) was used to draw the SWOT matrix and extract strategies. Based on the results of the interviews with the students, the most important indicators of the weaknesses (dissatisfaction with the officials), strengths (quality of teaching by teachers), opportunities (suitable location of the province in the agricultural sector), and threats (cultural problems) were mentioned. According to the teachers, the most important indicators in weaknesses (the process of attracting students), strengths (quality of the management system), opportunities (improving education policies), and threats (cultural problems) were identified as the most important indicators of the SWOT matrix. Finally, strategies were presented to reduce the harms of the educational system in agricultural high schools in Sanandaj.